Oli Welsh
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senior editor, UK @polygon / formerly editor-in-chief @eurogamer / games, film, TV / he/him
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Articles by Oli Welsh
Phantom Blade Zero just killed Crimson Desert's chance at a GOTY Original
Phantom Blade Zero is part of a new wave of Unreal Engine 5-powered, AAA PC and console games from China. The figurehead of this wave was Black Myth: Wukong, 2024's Soulslike-adjacent riff on Journey to the West by Game Science, which went on to a Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards. It looks like that will be Phantom Blade Zero's fate, too. There's a pretty direct comparison between the two games.
Phantom Blade Zero just killed Crimson Desert's chance at a GOTY
Hunting Down All These Materials Took Us Across Every Region in Phantom Blade Zero! Weapons in Phantom Blade Zero can be upgraded to make them more powerful. However, there is another way to enhance them even further and unlock new …
5 PS5 games releasing in November 2026 you cannot miss
I'm not sure PlayStation 5 has ever had a quieter month for new releases than November 2026. Quieter with one absolutely massive exception, that is, which explains the dearth of new releases otherwise. Scroll down to Nov. 19 to see what it is, but you know already. For this article, it was an effort to find four other games worth highlighting, but they were there when we looked long enough.
Nintendo’s biggest game of the year isn't what you think it is
It's been a quiet week in Switch world (give or take an Indie World showcase), sandwiched between the twin pillars of Nintendo's fall — Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Time to reflect; time to work on the timing of my table tennis backhand. This is the time of year when Nintendo's global marketing departments start limbering up and doing stretches for a big mass-market retail push.
Alexander Skarsgård raises the bar for hot monsters in the darkly funny Wicker
In Wicker, Olivia Colman plays an unloved fisherwoman who asks Peter Dinklage, a magically endowed basket-maker, to weave her a husband. The Wicker Husband is stoic yet pliable, a dutiful force of nature in bed or with a hammer, and as tall and handsome as the tree he's made from. The women of the village stare with lust as he walks creakily by. There was really only one option when casting this creature, and luckily, the producers of this sly, saucy fable got their man.
WoW lets you have a last name for the first time in 22 years, and it's stressing me out
World of Warcraft: Forever is a little more than a week away from launch, and early name reservation is now live. That's right, the chance to reserve character names early — just three per account — has been monetized by Blizzard as a pre-order bonus. I present this without comment. But it's worth noting, for context, that name reservation is a thing in the World of Warcraft community.
I spied on the WoW: Forever beta as an invisible god with the Blizzard devs who made it
It's the final day of the beta test for World of Warcraft: Forever — Blizzard's new reimaging of classic, 2004-vintage WoW — and the servers are buzzing. In the village of Goldshire, a busy scrum of players has gathered, eager to tackle Super Hogger, a new, kaiju-sized boss version of the famous low-level elite gnoll. Outside the gates of the city of Stormwind, there's a festival atmosphere. Streams of players pour back and forth across the bridge, some of them three times their normal size.
I spied on the WoW: Forever beta as an invisible god with the Blizzard devs who made it
It's the final day of the beta test for World of Warcraft: Forever — Blizzard's new reimaging of classic, 2004-vintage WoW — and the servers are buzzing. In the village of Goldshire, a busy scrum of players has gathered, eager to tackle Super Hogger, a new, kaiju-sized boss version of the famous low-level elite gnoll. Outside the gates of the city of Stormwind, there's a festival atmosphere. Streams of players pour back and forth across the bridge, some of them three times their normal size.
BioWare's closure is just the tip of the iceberg
Farewell then, BioWare. This week, EA shuttered the Canadian RPG specialist , home of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I'll admit to never having been a fan — on a personal level, I didn't click with the games. But I get it. I can see why these stories and characters meant so much to so many people, for their drama and scope, but particularly for BioWare's eagerness for its games to be an affirming reflection of their players.
The 10 best SNES games to play on Nintendo Switch Online
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System has one of the finest game catalogs of any console ever released, and there's a strong selection of 77 games available on Nintendo Classics as part of Nintendo Switch Online. Sadly, most of the console's great third-party games aren't represented; you won't find Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, or Street Fighter 2 Turbo on the service.
Blizzard's 2012 action RPG is still the best co-op game on Game Pass
In Diablo circles — I don't mean circles of hell, I mean in the community around Blizzard's dark fantasy action RPGs — there is a cool game to like, and it's Diablo 2. There's no real debate about this. The 2000 game is Diablo at its moodiest and most unforgiving. Yet it's still impressive in its scale, has unbeatable longevity, and plays pretty well today, especially in the Resurrected remaster.
Blizzard's 2012 action RPG is still the best co-op game on Game Pass
Uh oh, the iPhone Duo complaints have begun Can all of these issues be fixed? There was a lot of pressure on Apple to get things right with the iPhone Duo. It's been seven years since the first …
Forza might actually lose at The Game Awards for the first time in a decade
If you made a list of the most exciting categories at The Game Awards, Best Sports/Racing Game would usually come near the bottom (though above the pointless Best Fighting Game, which struggles to fill five nominees every year). Year after year, it is one of the most hidebound and predictable awards, both in its choice of nominees and eventual winner. The Sports/Racing category has a number of almost inviolate rules, which are as follows: Racing games win.
BioWare's closure is just the tip of the iceberg
Farewell then, BioWare. This week, EA shuttered the Canadian RPG specialist, home of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I'll admit to never having been a fan — on a personal level, I didn't click with the games. But I get it. I can see why these stories and characters meant so much to so many people, for their drama and scope, but particularly for BioWare's eagerness for its games to be an affirming reflection of their players.
BioWare's closure is just the tip of the iceberg
2 hours ago The orders start on 1 March 2027 and ban fees for using rival app stores, like the one Apple charges in Europe. Apple says it will seek a stay and appeal. Fortnite is back on the App Store in Australia, Epic Games said on Friday. That came a day after the Federal Court of Australia ordered Apple to …
Vincent Price is the kitschiest, weirdest serial killer ever in this '70s cult classic
A hooded figure emerges slowly from the floor of a cavernous art-deco space — supposedly the hallway of his house, although it looks like a theater stage. He dramatically plays an organ mounted on a hydraulic platform. The organ is flanked by a sinister clockwork jazz band with papier-mâché heads. The hooded figure sets the band in motion and a beautiful young woman appears in a fantastical white gown. The pair dance together in courtly fashion.
5 most perfect 1980s games that nobody remembers
The 1980s wasn't the decade video games were born; the origins of the medium go back a further 20 years, through the likes of Spacewar! and Pong. But it was in the 1980s that video games grew up, exploding in popularity and complexity and establishing many of their defining stars. It was the decade that gave us Mario and Zelda, Pac-Man, Final Fantasy, Prince of Persia, and SimCity. But it also gave us some much more obscure titles that have since fallen by the wayside.
5 most perfect 1980s games that nobody remembers
1 day ago Remakes, remasters, and reimaginings are all the rage right now in video games. For the last several years, studios the world over have crafted new and vastly improved versions of all-time classic games, ranging from faithful modernizations like Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake to Square Enix’s wildly …
Nintendo is still being wildly underestimated Original
Switchboard is Polygon's weekly newsletter for all things Nintendo, sent on Thursdays and published on the site on Saturdays. You can subscribe here. Nintendo has always enjoyed the respect of critics. The games, at their best, are just too good for things to be otherwise.
The 25 best Switch 2 games
Over a year in, the Switch 2's software lineup could scarcely be looking healthier. Although it's still lacking the biggest of big hitters from Nintendo's own stable — there's been no Zelda game or Mario platformer yet — the platform holder has kept up a consistent stream of interesting second-tier titles like Splatoon Raiders, Switch 2 Editions of past classics like the Xenoblade series, and even Nintendo 64 remakes like Star Fox.
The 25 best games on Xbox Game Pass
Is Game Pass still worth it? It's an open question. After a big price increase and another confusing restructure of the subscription service's various tiers in late 2025, the price was reduced, but the service also started losing features — so the question is harder than ever to answer. As ever, it's subjective, and depends on how you play games.
Everything we know about the PlayStation 6, Sony’s next-gen console Original
What is time? It feels like PlayStation 5 was released yesterday, but it’s actually almost six years old. This is usually when we can expect to start hearing more about a console’s successor. Seven years is a typical console generation lifespan; no PlayStation has ever been released more than seven years after its predecessor, and the eight-year gaps between Switch and Switch 2, or Xbox 360 and Xbox One, are the longest ever for a home console.
Everything we know about Project Helix, the next Xbox console
What a six years it’s been for Xbox. The Xbox Series consoles’ lifespan has seen Microsoft’s gaming ambitions shot into the stratosphere by the $67.9 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. At the same time, the Series X and Series S consoles — despite being arguably Xbox’s best hardware to date — have sold poorly, falling behind even their unpopular predecessor Xbox One, never mind PlayStation 5 and the all-conquering Nintendo Switch.
Everything we know about Project Helix, the next Xbox console
2 hours ago The sector has suffered massive job losses since 2022, prompting calls for unionization and worker protections. Electronic Arts (EA) is reducing its global workforce by 3%, or about 400 jobs, and shutting down BioWare, the 31-year-old studio behind the Mass Effect series. The cuts, announced …
The 25 best PS5 games
What are the best games on PlayStation 5? Hard as it is to believe, the PS5 is — by Sony's own admission — already well past the halfway point of its life-cycle. (It's even time to start thinking about PS6.) It's fair to say that PS5 hasn't been deluged with classics, and the rate of must-play new releases is slower than it has been on previous PlayStations. What's sure to be the console's defining game, Grand Theft Auto 6, isn't even out yet.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a masterpiece
Casual gaming is a term that most of us who are passionate about the video game medium are conditioned to hear as a pejorative. Casual games are superficial, we think reflexively. In trying to please everyone, they're designed for the lowest common denominator. They're shiny and bland, lacking grit and friction. Casual gaming can encompass real beauty, though.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a masterpiece
entertainment news 21 hours ago What to Stream: ‘Moana,’ ‘Modern Warfare 4,’ Dolly Parton tribute, ‘Lupin’ and John Legend wausaupilotandreview.com - Darren Siewert • 21h By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSA new album from John Legend and the streaming debut of the live-action “Moana” are some of the new television, films, music … Finance 1 day ago Should You Buy These 4 Video Game Stocks Before GTA 6 Arrives?
Steam's #2 driving game sets a new bar for realism on PS5
BeamNG.drive is one of those "big niche" games that, if you live on a certain corner of the internet, is a huge deal — but if you don't, you may never have heard of it at all. It's a driving sim, known for extremely realistic "soft-body" physics, that launched on Steam 11 years ago and has been in early access the whole time. As of today, it's also available on PlayStation 5.
Forza Horizon is no longer the king of video game road trips
The Forza Horizon games are great racing games. But something else they excel at is virtual video game tourism. They're based on real-world destinations, where you can jump in your favorite ride and take a tour, seeing the sights: the Mediterranean coast, the Scottish highlands, the Outback, Tokyo city.
Forza Horizon is no longer the king of video game road trips
Colorado man gets 'too inspired' by Forza Horizon so takes his Ford Mustang off-road on muddy trail and it doesn't go too well See us first in Google Get our stories before anyone else Add Supercar Blondie in one tap and get our stories before anyone else This guy may have …
America's dominance in The Game Awards is officially over
It's been a long time since the U.S. held complete sway over voting in The Game Awards. In 2024 and 2025, American outlets took up just 24 seats on an international jury of more than 130. Since the awards began in 2014, there's been a consistent trend of internationalization as the jury has expanded. Even so, the U.S. has consistently had by far the biggest presence of any single country on the jury — at least 10 more votes than any other nation. But that era is over.
The Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake sounds meaningfully better than the original
Switchboard is Polygon's weekly newsletter for all things Nintendo, sent on Thursdays and published on the site on Saturdays. You can subscribe here. Guess what — Nintendo's all-in on physical media. This unsurprising fact became news this week after an executive for Nintendo in Latin America made some mild and extremely uncontroversial comments to the effect.
Big Walk is skipping Xbox as part of the pro-Palestinian BDS boycott
Australian indie developer House House has explained that it has not released its acclaimed co-op adventure Big Walk on Xbox due to its support of the aims of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), the pro-Palestinian human rights movement. "It has always been our intention for Big Walk to be played by groups of friends, and we know that keeping the game off Xbox runs counter to those intentions," House House said in a statement.
Big Walk is skipping Xbox as part of the pro-Palestinian BDS boycott
6 days ago NBA 2K27 continued its winning streak against Madden NFL. Circana has posted its August 2026 monthly report, and unsurprisingly, NBA 2K27 is once again the best-selling game for the month. That’s hardly a shocker, as it was the best-selling August game in 2024 and 2025, ending a long winning streak …
Over the Hill just invented the cozy driving game and I'm in love
For this review of the indie offroad driving game Over the Hill, I was considering using a phrase along the lines of "the chill-out game of the year" in the headline, but this rang a niggling bell in my head. I looked it up, and sure enough, I'd used this exact framing three years ago for my preview of Don't Nod's excellent rock-climbing game Jusant. That's apt — Over the Hill inspires similar feelings in me, and I've compared the two games before.
over the hill
Ultimately, Over the Hill is a lovely little adventure that understands the simple joy of heading out into the wilderness and seeing what you stumble across. For me, it’s at its best when you’re tackling its trickier trails with friends, where a seemingly straightforward expedition can quickly descend into a chaotic and often hilarious rescue mission where you’ll be eating popcorn by the bucket-load.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse reviews hail a triumphant return
If you haven't noticed, Konami is back, and the once-great Japanese publisher is finding its feet again by farming its properties out to hungry younger developers all over the world. This has worked pretty well for Silent Hill, and now it's Castlevania's turn with Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. The first mainline installment in the vampire action series in over 10 years, Belmont's Curse was made by Dead Cells support studio Evil Empire.
Ben Affleck's new Netflix thriller is a massive global streaming hit
We live in a world where a junky-but-fun-looking movie with a big star attached can come out of nowhere on streaming, with little marketing, and completely dominate the viewing habits of half the globe for a weekend or two. A few weeks ago, it happened with The Whisper Man, starring Robert De Niro. This week, it's the turn of Ben Affleck with Animals, an L.A.-set crime thriller also featuring Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Stephan Yeun.
GTA 6 gets a pass for nudity that indies don’t — for one weird reason
Patch Notes is a weekly newsletter bringing you the best of Polygon, sent on Fridays and published on the site on Sundays. You can subscribe here. The trickle of Grand Theft Auto 6 information continues; as I write this, I just got a press release from Rockstar about the game's radio stations. (Actually, that's a pretty big deal.) This campaign has had several lifecycles: first, the trailers and delays, then the long leak era, and more recently, the official blowout.
GTA 6 gets a pass for nudity that indies don’t — for one weird reason
The Coca-Cola rebrand is still causing confusion three months on Design fail or all part of the plan? Back in July, we got the inside story on the Coca-Cola rebrand. The design refresh was intended to make the …
Star Wars has a real shot at GOTY for the first time in 23 years
Both games have been received with acclaim by critics, especially the innovative Galactic Racer. Their releases have been well-timed to stand out for consideration at The Game Awards in December, too. But Star Wars has a checkered history at TGA — and gaming awards in general. And while Zero Company and Galactic Racer are better placed for success at the awards than almost any other Star Wars games of the last two decades, they might still struggle for recognition.
Star Wars has a real shot at GOTY for the first time in 23 years
22 hours ago Pixels and Puppets S04E20: The Bridecast | Pixels and Puppets acast.com • 22h Keep up with everything Operation: Puppet does at https://www.operationpuppet.com! Intro (hellos and stuff) DIGGER! • Coping Mechanism: The Queerest … Gaming 3 hours ago I didn’t expect to love Star Wars: Galactic Racer this much — and it’s all thanks to the excellent single-player mode Tom's Guide - Rory Mellon • 3h We've been waiting a few years for another truly great Star Wars video game post-Jedi...
I have discovered the best game soundtrack of 2026 and it is Super Woden: Rally Edge
Video game soundtracks are pretty respectable these days. Earlier this year, I watched James Bond composer David Arnold take the stage at the BAFTA Games Awards and pay tribute to the medium before presenting an award to Toma Otowa for the Ghost of Yōtei soundtrack. After a sustained campaign for recognition by a PR friend of mine, UK classical music radio station Classic FM now frequently plays video game scores.
Grand Theft Ocarina could be gaming's Barbenheimer
Switchboard is Polygon's weekly newsletter for all things Nintendo, sent on Thursdays and published on the site on Saturdays. You can subscribe here. Making games gets harder, longer, and more expensive every year, but nobody seems to have told Nintendo. The platform-holder has kept up a schedule of more-or-less monthly new exclusives all year, and it's been a lineup of impressive breadth and quality.
Grand Theft Ocarina could be gaming's Barbenheimer
17 hours ago Fuse Games' Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a true original, bringing much-needed innovation to the racing game genre with its roguelite campaign structure, one-of-a-kind multiplayer, and genius use of the Star Wars licence. But that's not to say you can't find some similar thrills elsewhere. Galactic …
The 7 best racing games like Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Fuse Games' Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a true original, bringing much-needed innovation to the racing game genre with its roguelite campaign structure, one-of-a-kind multiplayer, and genius use of the Star Wars licence. But that's not to say you can't find some similar thrills elsewhere.
I really want to get back into The Witcher 3 but I have save game anxiety
You know the feeling, I bet you do. There's a game you played and loved but never finished — or never felt you got closure on, in one way or another. And, suddenly, there's a compelling reason to go back, like a patch or visual refresh. But trying to start a big, complicated game in the middle is disorienting and hard work.
Dispatch officially eligible for The Game Awards for a second year
This might be a first: Dispatch, the episodic superhero narrative game, is eligible for all the major categories at The Game Awards for the second year running. Representatives for the developer AdHoc Studio told Polygon that Dispatch's eligibility for the 2026 awards had been confirmed by TGA owner and host Geoff Keighley. This is despite the fact that all eight episodes of the game's first season were released by Nov. 12, 2025 — before the Nov. 21 eligibility cutoff date for the 2025 awards.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer has the best racing multiplayer in years
Star Wars: Galactic Racer reinvents single-player racing games with its roguelike-style, run-based campaign, in which the player progresses through randomized events and upgrades a specialized build through a mixture of planning and chance. This was clearly signaled in advance by developer Fuse Games, but that didn't stop it coming as a shock to the system.
The best Xbox Amazon Prime Day gaming deals
Amazon Prime Day is back, only because it's October and thus the sale has to have a slightly different name, it's called Prime Big Deal Days 2026. The sale runs for two days, Oct. 6 and Oct. 7. There are a bunch of video gaming deals, but we've sorted through the listings to bring you some of the best deals on our favorite kit. This list focuses on Xbox games, all physical editions; Prime Day deals are rare on digital games.
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